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Consumers and Wellness

Every brand needs a personalization strategy -- it's a consumer expectation. This module will explore a few leading trends helping brands to get ahead in this realm with case studies from the cannabis, cosmetics and media industries. Most agree that personalization is an integral part of surprising and delighting consumers, but unfortunately, few brands have personalization baked into the DNA of their business.

Learn how brands have become successful in making wellness more accessible and increasing the quality of their products by offering more personalized solutions. Which touchpoints are your brand overlooking when it comes to customization?

Implications - Brands' adoption of gene analysis is taking personalization to the next level, while functioning as a clear point of distinction for those who offer it. By creating products that have more evidentiary backing, these brands are able to cater to customers' specific needs within their area of expertise, rather than the customers' stated needs–a fact which functions as a key marketing tool for the products themselves.

Workshop Question - How can your brand adopt personalization into its product development process?

Implications - Where the mainstream cannabis industry once focused on "stoners," the lifestyle associated with it is now considered upscale – and the next step in this progression is its slow shift to empowering women. This shift caters to a demographic that has long consumed the product, while simultaneously being disregarded in its contributions to the culture that surrounds it. As the cannabis industry focuses on progression, the dichotomy of its contribution to "upscale" lifestyles for some demographics, and disproportionate penalties for others, must be resolved in order for the industry to fully embody inclusivity.

Workshop Question - Consider who your brand targets to, and who it might exclude. How can it better foster inclusive and diverse business practices?

The direct-to-consumer model finds new applications with DNA-specific wellness

Implications - As consumers look to act on newly gained knowledge made easily accessible by data-powered smartphones, biotech startups are emerging to offer DNA-specific wellness solutions that are at times controversial in nature. In particular, this progression highlights the adaptable nature of the health and wellness movement and the opening up of various markets as the direct-to-consumer model expands to new categories.

Workshop Question - How can you get closer to consumers by leveraging elements of the direct-to-consumer model?

Trend - Brands in the cannabis industry are facilitating more sophisticated forms of consuming the plant by offering magazines, recipes and cooking classes for consumers’ in this space to try out at home.

Workshop Question - How could your brand incorporate elements of DIY into its product/service?

Trend - The merging of augmented and virtual realities with the cannabis industry is on the rise as brands look to offer immersive experiences for connoisseurs and beginners alike. These platforms offer benefits like virtual product libraries and augmented package engagement--prioritizing both informative and creative experiences for viewers.

Workshop Question - How could your brand collaborate with the emerging cannabis space?

Brands in the cannabis space aim to knock down various barriers to access

Trend - Whether they're barriers related to education, cost or mobility, accessibility in the cannabis space is slowly being addressed as the drug becomes legalized across Canada and the United States. By removing some of the barriers associated with legal cannabis consumption, brands are able to ensure that the industry begins operating for the betterment of more demographics.

Workshop Question - How could your brand reduce barriers to access within its space?

Artist-curated print publications that celebrate cannabis culture are on the rise

Trend - With cannabis becoming destigmatized across North America, Millennial artists are creating niche lifestyle publications on the topic, while also exploring various social issues and providing education.

Cannabis brands tap into need state labeling for simplicity and product education

Trend - Diversity in the cannabis industry means consumers rely on the way brands label their products to help them navigate this space. As a result, an increasing number of brands in the cannabis industry are leveraging need state-based labeling to easily educate consumers on anticipated results.

Workshop Question - What educational value is being offered through the way your product is communicated?

Implications - An increasing number of brands are responding to consumer curiosity and the desire to experiment with cannabis by producing products and services that facilitate its use at in-home social events. For many consumers, cannabis serves as an easy and natural substitution for alcohol during dinner parties and other in-home social gatherings. These offerings display the propensity consumers have for engaging with products that make for an easier transition into social cannabis consumption.

Workshop Question - How is your industry adapting to the space consumers are making for the emerging cannabis industry?

Implications - Brands are leveraging bio-science to allow consumers to better personalize their diet-related goals. Weight management platforms use algorithms that analyze the consumer's DNA, which then provides them with information that helps them make informed choices about their nutrition plans. This personalization caters to consumers looking to self-empower when it comes to meeting their health and fitness goals.

People of color carve their own spaces in the North American cannabis industry

Implications - The decriminalization and legalization of cannabis that continues across North America has not yet entirely resolved the exclusion and disproportionate penalties applied to people of color within this space. In reaction to this, people of color are creating their own brands and carving out their own spaces within the cannabis industry, empowering one another and supporting inclusion and education.